One Year Later
by samantharose818
Summary: This is a one-shot of Clary dealing with the one year anniversary of Sebastian making the new mortal cup and what he did to her. As someone who struggles with anniversaries of traumatic events, I thought I'd write this. Lots of Clace fluff!


Clary sometimes felt like she wasn't afraid of anything. She'd been killing demons for over a year now, and although she hadn't always escaped completely unscathed, she was always the last one standing.

Today, she thought, would be no different. So even as she walked past a night club late at night she wasn't scared. She had drawn a glamor rune shielding her from public eye, which she had quickly learned was useful in warding off drunk assholes.

So when one of them came stumbling her way looking right at her, she knew something was wrong. His hair was a dark shade of green and his eyes were almost black. If she were a normal mundane the mist would probably have hidden those eyes, and for a split second she wished she couldn't see them. They were far too close to another boy she had known. The boy she had had to kill. Alarm bells went off in her head as she came to the realization that the boy in front of her was a demon.

"Hey there," He said swiftly, not realizing what _she _was. Not until she pulled out her seraph blade anyways.

A shadow passed over his face as he lunged at her, but she was much too quick for him. She swung her blade in an arc and he disintegrated before her, returning to whatever level of hell he came from.

Clary sighed as that whole exchange was no more than a slight inconvenience for her walk to the institute. She put her seraph blade back into her weapons belt and brushed off her pants.

She was about to continue forward when she was violently grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. "You bitch," said a voice above her. She quickly identified this one as another demon and silently cursed herself for not checking for others before putting away her weapon.

The demon had his foot on her throat when he said, "I know you, you're the Morgenstern girl. The one both Valentine and Sebastian failed to kill."

Rage ran through her blood as he said the names of her father and brother. She grasped for the dagger in her belt, but the demon stepped harder on her throat and her vision started going black.

"Imagine how praised I would be for slaying the girl that neither could. Valentine underestimated you, but Sebastian failed because he desired you, didn't he?"

Clary's eyes went wide. _How could he possibly know that? _As if he could read her mind, the demon responded, "Word travels fast in the demon world, shadow hunter. And we know everything about you."

The demon, seeming satisfied by her reaction, lessened the pressure just enough for Clary to reach her dagger and stab it into his calf. Black ichor splashed on her face, burning it, but it was enough to get him off her completely.

As he stumbled backwards crying out in pain, Clary rolled, landing on her feet ready to face him. She pulled out her seraph blade just as she saw a flash of gold wrap around the demons neck, pulling tighter until he too disintegrated

Isabelle stood before her, fully dressed in gear and wearing a triumphant look. "I know you probably had it under control, but I just really wanted to kill something tonight." She said with a dazzling smile.

"Trust me, I don't mind the help." Clary replied, taking out her stele to draw herself an iratze before her neck bruised.

"What happened?" Isabelle asked. Clary recounted the demon who came up to her, and then how the second one got the jump on her.

"I should've checked the area but I didn't. I'm glad you were on patrol tonight," Clary finished. She must have still had a look on her face, because Isabelle said,

"What else happened?"

"He mentioned Sebastian," His name still stuck in her throat whenever she said it. "He knew what Sebastian felt for me."

Isabelle scowled, knowing what she meant. "Demons will use anything they can to get to us. I'm glad I decapitated him."

"Me too. It doesn't help that today is…" Clary trailed off and Isabelle didn't press her to continue. "Well never mind. I'm heading to the institute anyways. Thanks again Izzy."

Isabelle nodded, and the two girls went separate ways. That was one of the things Clary really appreciated about Isabelle. She never pried into her life.

Once Clary entered the institute, her feet knew exactly where to go. She had considered being alone tonight, but the thought of that left a bad taste in her mouth. She wanted to feel safe, and Jace was the safest place she knew.

She knew Jace well enough to know he'd be in the library curled up in a chair with a book. So that's how she found herself pushing open the doors to the library and making her way to the back of the room. Sure enough, Jace was lounging on an armchair one hand propping his head up, the other one holding _The Fellowship of The Ring _from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He stood up quickly when he saw her, noting the fresh iratze on her skin and the burns on her face. Before he could open his mouth she flung herself into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest like a child. Jace's arms instantly came around her. One hand rubbing her back, the other smoothing her fiery red hair.

Clary would have stayed like this forever if she could. He was the warmth she needed when her body wouldn't stop shaking, he was her anchor when she couldn't stay grounded. He was every part of her that was missing.

Eventually Jace pulled away and held her at arm's length, examining her. "What happened?" Clary heard for the second time that night. He gently touched her burns, and even though it stung she didn't mind.

"I'm having a bit of a bad night."

Jace nodded and led Clary over to the chair he had been sitting in. He pulled her onto his lap so that she was sitting sideways, arms around his neck. Clary then told him about her encounter while absentmindedly playing with his golden curls.

"Don't worry, I knew I would be able to get away from the second demon eventually, so it's not that I was scared of dying. Though, I am thankful Isabelle ended up being there." Clary knew she was rambling, so she took a deep breath and finally said what had been bothering her. "The second demon, he mentioned Sebastian. He threw his name in my face because he knew. _He knew."_

A pained look crossed Jace's face and he said, "I'm so sorry. I wish I would have been there, I wish I could have killed him before he could open his mouth." All Jace could do was tighten his arms around her waist, as if he could shield her from the world. Maybe if he held tight enough he'd never have to let her go.

"I know," She said quietly while gazing into his golden eyes. The look she gave him was one of pure love, knowing that the boy before her would give anything to take her pain away. Even if meant taking it on himself. His love for her was selfless and unwavering, and she wondered, not for the first time, how she got so lucky. "Do you know what tonight is?"

"It's the anniversary of the mortal cup and the night you separated the bond between me and Sebastian. Which means it's also the anniversary of when he…" Jace trailed off. He still couldn't say it. It was too horrible for him to imagine what Clary must have gone through, and if that was too hard for him, he knew it must be destroying her.

"That night was so horrible and I can't stop seeing him in my head. I thought I was okay, but the closer this day came, the more I kept thinking about it and remembering." Tears started spilling down her cheeks and she was surprised she had held them back for so long. "I couldn't be alone tonight."

Jace brought his hands up to cup her face and wipe away her tears. His strong calloused hands felt familiar and comforting on her skin, and she leaned into his touch. "I love you Clary," He said. "I don't want you to be alone-I don't even want to be alone-so whatever you need from me I'll give."

"I want to make this night something better, so that next year I remember this instead. I want you to kiss me."

Jace complied almost immediately, drawing her lips to his and kissing her soft and slow. Afraid of triggering her, he was mindful to keep his hands on her face or tangled in her hair. He wanted her to know he was kissing her because he loved her, not just because he desired her, and Clary understood.

But still a voice creeped into her head and it said, _you belong to me_.

She jerked back and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry," she murmured over and over.

"Clary, it's okay. You're okay, I promise. Don't ever apologize" Jace said, tentatively pulling her hands away from her beautiful face. She looked at him with fresh tears in her eyes, but smiled weakly at him nonetheless.

"I didn't belong to him. I didn't." She said out loud. She didn't know whether she meant to or not, but she was glad she did when she saw a flicker of hope in Jace's eyes.

"You don't belong to _anyone _except yourself." He said. Seeing her like this was devastating, but Jace had an idea. "Clary, do you like cookies?"

Clary, baffled by his random question replied, "uh yeah. Who doesn't like cookies?"

"Probably the same kind of person who wouldn't find me attractive, if they even exist." That earned an eye roll from Clary. "Anyways, you and I are going to go change into comfy clothes, bake some cookies, and have ourselves a picnic on the roof. Maybe gaze at some stars while we're at it."

"I would love that, Jace," Clary said, completely awed by how sweet her boyfriend could be sometimes.

The next thing they knew they were racing up the stairs to Jace's room, laughing about who knows what. Jace traded his jeans and T-shirt for a pair of sweatpants, but opted for no shirt. Clary couldn't complain. She didn't mind the sight of his abs or the way his pants hung kind of low. Even though she wasn't feeling particularly intimate tonight, that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the view.

Clary stripped off her gear and put on a pair of athletic shorts she kept there, and then picked out a nice big T-shirt of Jace's. She thought she looked kind of homeless, but Jace still twirled her around like she was a princess in a formal gown.

He held onto her hand as he led her to the kitchen and asked, "what kind of cookies are we feeling?"

"Chocolate chip of course," Clary replied.

"Good! Isabelle bought ingredients for those, but I think we'll be sparing everyone if we make them instead of her."

"Agreed."

One hour later, the kitchen was a mess, Clary had flour in her hair, courtesy of Jace who was eating leftover cookie dough, and they had two dozen delicious cookies on a cooling rack.

"I'd say we did pretty good," Jace said with a mouthful of cookie dough, and Clary smacked his arm playfully.

"If we ever get tired of being shadow hunters we should become bakers," Clary agreed.

"That's very tempting, my dear." Jace said as he grabbed a plate.

In the end, they brought a blanket, a plate of cookies, and two glasses of milk to the roof for their feast. They spent the next two hours talking, eating, and finally cuddling under the stars.

At one point, the breeze blew strongly and she snuggled father into Jace's side. He tilted his chin down to look at her and asked, "Are you cold?" Clary nodded. He kissed her nose quickly and then said, "How about we go to bed?"

"Mmm the bed is so far. Will you carry me?" Clary asked, batting her eyelashes. Jace's heartbeat quickened and he almost melted under her gaze. How could he ever say no to a face like that?

"Anything for you, baby," He said lazily. He wrapped her up in the blanket and she slung her arms around his neck.

Abandoning their dishes on the roof, Jace made his way down to his room, and once there he placed Clary under the covers of his bed. It was almost 3:00 AM, and she was barely staying awake. He climbed in after her and pulled her close to him.

"Thank you, Jace." Clary murmured and quickly kissed his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, now get some sleep." Clary wrapped an arm around his waist, tangled her legs with his, and finally buried her face in his chest. Soon she fell asleep, comforted by his familiar scent, and thankful for his hand rubbing her back.

Right before Jace drifted off, he kissed Clary's forehead, and whispered "I love you" one more time.


End file.
